Gridiron grins

Charity game pits kids against mascots

Relegated to watch (and prance) from the sidelines, it was inevitable that professional and college mascots would rise up one day and play the games they've only seen from a distance.

That day has come.

In what could be a precedent-setting event, a squadron of professional and college sports mascots from Utah will face the Lehi Pioneers 6th-grade football team Thursday to raise money for the local Firemen & Friends for Kids charity.

Organizers say they believe this is a first for mascots in their state, and the school says Sports Illustrated and ESPN have said they might cover the game in Lehi, which is between Salt Lake City and Provo.

"It's a modified version of tackle football," said Becky White, a local teacher who's in charge of marketing the game. "For a tackle, the mascots will be allowed to pick the kids up or put them on their backs to record a tackle so that no one gets hurt."

But the game raises all sorts of questions, including:

- How does Squach the Sasquatch call an audible at the line of scrimmage?

- Will the Phoenix Suns' Gorilla come back to the huddle to tell his quarterback, "I'm open on every play."

- Does Champ wear his plays on his wrist?

- Can a team of 11-year-olds make up for the lack of size against their larger, older and furrier opponents?

- Will Waldo and Swoop play a two-deep zone or do they attack with a mascot-to-kid coverage scheme?

This much we do know: The game will be divided into four

15-minute quarters with running time, and the school expects 3,000 to attend.

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Going to the game

If you happen to be in the Salt Lake City area, game time is 6 p.m. local time (doors open at 5 p.m.). Tickets are $3. Lehi High School is at 180 N. 500 E. in Lehi, right off the freeway.